RED BLUFF — The Tehama County Board of Supervisors Tuesday turned down a pair of proposed solar power facilities in the Flournoy area, finding the projects were not compatible with the Williamson Act lands they were scheduled to be built on.

A public hearing on a third project south of Red Bluff on the southwest corner of the Hatfield Road and Percell Lane intersection was continued for one week at the request of the developer.

The project would build a 250-kilowatt photovoltaic solar array generator on about 3-acres of rural property at an installation price of around $2.5 million.

The other projects ranged in size from 250 to 500 kilowatts and would have been through 20-year lease contracts with the land owners.

The board unanimously backed a denial finding that stated the production of electricity for wholesale distribution is not itself an agricultural use, and is not compatible with adjacent agricultural uses on Williamson Act contracted property … unless accessory to a current or planned agricultural use of the subject property.

The Williamson Act was created to discourage the development of rural land.

Around 800,000 of Tehama County’s 1 million agricultural acres are under Williamson Act contracts.

Over two weeks of discussion, supervisors have suggested that the Hatfield Road project may be compatible if mitigation, including the creation of a well and orchard, is worked into the project.

Supervisor Steve Chamblin went further Tuesday saying in the future he would only vote in favor of such projects if impact fees were included.

Pristine Sun had asked for the public hearings for all three projects to be continued for a week.

Supervisor Bob Williams said, while normally the board grants continuance requests, he saw nothing in the letter that would change his mind in the coming week.

Supervisor Burt Bundy agreed, saying all the pertinent information came out a week ago and there was no need to continually discuss it.

Pristine Sun has said they have 100-plus sites in the works for Tehama County, five of them were scheduled for Williamson Act land.

In its letter the company said it had successfully received approval for a project in Fresno County on high quality grazing land, by achieving a solar easement allowed through recently-passed state legislation.

Under that method land is decommissioned out of the Williamson Act for time periods by the Department of Conservation.

Residents of the nearby projects said they were worried aesthetics of the facilities would harm their property values.

Williams and Bundy said they did not share those concerns and were strictly against the projects because they went against the intention of the Williamson Act.